Welcome to Our Website!

We use this website as a communication tool with all of our friends, family, and supporters at home.  We will be updating this website with current pictures, stories, prayer requests, and anything else that happens along the way.  Check out our photo gallery to see ministry pictures as well as a link to our current family pictures.  Or read our blog to stay up to date on the day to day happenings of missionary life.   So enjoy the website and visit us often.  We look forward to visiting with you!

Our Vision

Did you know that in Italy a town or village has as its center a piazza?  It is what we would call in America a town square or large courtyard.  Typically there is a fountain or well in the center where one draws water to drink.  La piazza is where friends encounter friends, relationships are formed, and meetings take place.  It is where one goes to shop, hear a concert, or relax after a hard day’s work.  It is the center of activity.  If you were to visit a city, town or village in Italy you would find a multitude of piazzas.  If you went to a piazza it would be easy to meet new friends as the Italians are a friendly, outgoing people.  However, if you went to the piazza in search of Christian fellowship, you would have difficulty finding a brother or sister in Christ.  The piazzas, and Italy as a whole, have very few evangelical Christians.  Our vision is to see that change.  Our vision is to fill the piazzas with evangelical Christians.  Would you be willing to share in that vision with us?                           

(Click on the pictures to enlarge.)

Antimo's baptism at our church plant in Udine, Italy.

Women's Bible Study

ESL graduation and May Day Picnic

Support

Prayer Partners - 101

Monthly Expense – 79%
$993/mo needed

Ministry Highlights

May 29, 2009 

The Lord continues to bless our ministry in Italy and our church plant continues to grow.  We have added 4 new members and had 3 baptisms this month, one being a man named Antimo.   We met Antimo last summer when McGregor Baptist Church sent an evangelism team to work alongside our church plant.  Cosmin, a McGregor team member, witnessed to him in the piazza and invited him to our church.  He has been attending ever since and has been discipled by our church planters.  He also attends our English classes.

Our winter semester of English as a Second Language (ESL) ended April 30th with 119 graduates.  During the graduation we ask each student to say something in English.  To our surprise, Carlo, the man who accepted Christ last year, shared his testimony in English.  He is a very quiet and private man.  Afterwards we told him how very proud we were that he had the courage to share this with his fellow students.  He quietly responded, "I was very nervous but I think I did the right thing."      Sam Spatola, the head of our mission, concluded the evening with a gospel presentation.  The next day we held our May Day picnic for our students and their families.  It was an all day affair with well over 100 in attendance.  Throughout the day you could witness one spiritual conversation after another taking place.  It was truly awesome and amazing to be a part of it all.  Many seeds have been planted and we await God's timing on the fruit. The Lord continues to bring us new contacts through this ministry as well as many returning students.  We offer three levels, beginner, intermediate, and advanced which allows us to develop long term relationships with our students.

Women’s Bible Study Update

We began a Ladies Bible study on Esther in March which concluded May 18th.  We had 6 women come every Monday, 4 Italians and 2 Americans.  I could write a book about this Bible study and answered prayer. We prayed for 3 women to attend...God provided 4.  Every Monday we would pray that the women would return and that our Italian would be sufficient...and every Monday they did and it was.  We prayed that at the conclusion these women would have a hunger for God's Word and an understanding of personal prayer...and again God answered our prayer.  At the end of Esther,  Michele said, "I would like to read the Bible.  I never knew it was so interesting."  The other women agreed.  With that I gave each of them an Italian Bible and encouraged them to begin reading it this summer.  They asked if we could do another Bible study in September and of course we agreed.  Each week at the conclusion of the study we asked them to pray and they did.  For 3 of the 4 it was there first attempt at spontaneous prayer.  It was difficult...it was labored...but it was beautiful!  I am anxious to return to these women next fall and begin again.  Oh, how we praise God for the opportunities he has given us!